Quite the Curious Conundrum
by desertredwolf
Summary: Padma Patil, newly Sorted Ravenclaw, is faced with, quite possibly, the toughest challenge of all-time: making new friends! Oh, and there's a riddle or something to get inside her Common Room. But that's a piece of cake. Written for QLFC; Season 5, Round 4. Chaser 3 for Puddlemere United. Oneshot.


**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. All rights go to respective owners.**

* * *

 **Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition / Season Five, Round 4**

 **Team:** Puddlemere United

 **Position:** Chaser 3

 **Prompt:** Write about a "forgotten family": The Patils

 **Bonus Prompts:**

1) (color) silver

3) (word) rare

4) (dialogue) "Could you be happy here with me?"

 **Word Count (not including title and author's notes): 1321** (Google Docs)

* * *

 **A/N — This story has been translated into Russian** **by Korshun** **! Check out my profile for details!**

* * *

 **Quite the Curious Conundrum**

Padma Patil was not entirely pleased.

The night before, she had been Sorted into one of the Houses in possibly the most prestigious magical school in Europe: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She was going to learn magic from the most talented professors in the country; _Albus Dumbledore_ was the Headmaster, for Merlin's sake! She knew she should be excited. And she was, but…

She had been separated from her sister.

They had always known it was a possibility. After McGonagall's welcome speech, Padma had known it was more than that. The chances that they would be placed together hadn't been good. Contrary to popular belief, they weren't the same person.

Shaking off the memories of the previous night, she stepped in the Great Hall with renewed hope of finding Parvati. Maybe they could go explore the castle after breakfast. They would be together again, like they should be. Lost in thought, she didn't see the two other students leaving the Hall and ran straight into them.

"Oh!" Padma yelped. Parchment and books went flying. The other two students appeared to be first years as well and Hufflepuffs to boot. The boy sighed and started collecting the scattered parchment. "I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed.

"Don't worry about it," the other student, a petite blonde girl, said. She gave Padma a cheerful smile and offered her hand. "No harm done. I'm Susan Bones."

"Padma Patil," she replied, shaking Susan's proffered hand. "Ravenclaw."

"Where are your books, Ravenclaw?" the boy asked as he stood up, straightening the collected parchment. "Aren't you lot supposed to always be reading?"

Padma prickled at the question. Was this what the older students had meant when they had spoken to the first years after the Sorting? That the other students would make gross overstatements and stereotype them, just because they liked to learn? How was that fair?

 _It isn't_ , Padma thought fiercely.

Susan sighed and rolled her eyes. "What this idiot _meant_ to say," she said in a stern tone, "was, ' _Hi, I'm Justin Finch-Fletchley. Nice to meet you. Would you like to explore the castle with us before the first lesson?_ ' Right, Justin?"

The boy grinned sheepishly. "Hi, I'm Justin Finch-Fletchley," he said. "It's nice to meet you, Padma. Would you like to explore the castle with us before the first lesson?" He looked expectantly at Padma, while Susan muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like "needs more training."

"I'm sorry, but I wanted to find my sister—" Padma began to explain.

"She's a Gryffindor, right?" Justin interrupted. "It's a bit early for them yet." He nodded toward the Gryffindor table and Padma followed his lead. There were only a few upper year students at the table eating breakfast. Padma felt her heart painfully constrict. Despite the sting of disappointment, she had to smile to herself. Parvati always did like to sleep in and it seemed that now she would always get the chance.

"I'm sorry," Susan said quickly. "It's okay if you don't want to explore with us. You probably want to do that with your sister later." Padma was about to agree when she remembered what her mother had said, just before she had left on the Hogwarts Express.

" _What you and your sister have is an unbreakable bond — no matter what happens. But each of you need to forge new friendships and relationships, as well as strengthen the one you already share."_

"It's okay," she found herself saying, her mother's smile lingering in her mind's eye. "I would love to explore with you, but I would need to get my things first."

Susan smiled happily, while Justin slung his arm over her shoulder. He offered her a muffin and a cup of fruit, which she accepted with a smile.

"Come on, Ravenclaw," he said jovially. "You're with us now."

Padma raised an eyebrow. "Am I?" she questioned.

 _Could making friends really be that easy?_ she wondered.

"Oh, most definitely," Susan said. "Onwards to Ravenclaw Tower?"

"Onwards," she agreed with a smile.

By the time the trio reached the entrance to Padma's common room, she was sure she had made the right decision. The smile hadn't left her face for one second since leaving the Great Hall and Padma could momentarily forget the pain of not being with her sister.

As they walked up to the bronze eagle knocker, the esteemed entrance to the Ravenclaw Common Room, Justin finished the tale he was telling.

"—and then, _bam_! Confetti was _everywhere_ and my grandfather stumbled back in shock, tripped over the dog, and into the lake he went! And that, my dear friends, was my first bout of accidental magic at the ripe old age of five."

Padma was giggling furiously and even Susan was having trouble hiding her grin. They all stopped at the entrance and the two Hufflepuffs looked up keenly.

"So how do you get in?" Justin asked. Padma looked over and saw her two new friends switching their gaze between her and the bronze eagle.

Taking a deep breath in, she stepped forward. "I have to answer a riddle," she replied.

"And if you don't get it right?" Susan asked a little worriedly.

She shrugged in response. "I have to wait until someone else answers correctly."

"Ravenclaws don't mess around," Justin muttered. Padma couldn't help but agree, as the bronze eagle began to speak.

" _Everyone carries me;_

 _I am more precious than gold._

 _Some forget me, while others hold me close._

 _With silver in your hair, I may have grown since your youth,_

 _but time has also fractured me beyond repair._

 _I am your energetic childhood games,_

 _the shy smile upon her lips,_

 _your rainy yesterdays,_

 _his joy filled laugh._

 _What am I?"_

Padma listened intently, as the eagle finished stating the riddle. Her mind had been quickly spinning through the clues, and had almost reached a conclusion, when her thoughts were disrupted.

"Well, this is it," Justin announced in a loud, theatrical voice. "We're doomed." He leaned against the wall and slowly slid to the ground. Padma glared at him and he shot her an apologetic grin.

"Sorry, Padma," he said, "but this seems impossible. Even for you."

"But it's—" she tried to say, only to get interrupted again.

"Justin," Susan admonished, "she's going to get it." But Justin seemed to be in rare form that morning and continued with a melodramatic flair.

"It looks like this is our home now," he said, waving his hand around the empty corridor. "We may end up growing old here." On that note, he jumped to his feet and quickly snatched Susan's hand.

"Susan, darling," he whispered, "could you be happy here with me?" Susan scowled and swatted his hand away.

"Shut it, _darling_ ," she snapped. Justin lost his grin and grew serious. "She's going to get it."

The two looked ready to debate the possibility of her correctly answering the riddle, when she interjected herself into the conversation.

"Guys," she said, "of course I'm going to get it. This is really easy."

The two Hufflepuffs turned to her in surprise. She couldn't keep the smug grin off her face.

"It is?" Justin asked.

"Obviously," Padma responded.

"Well?" Susan prompted. "What's the answer?"

Padma turned to face the bronze eagle again. "The answer," she announced, "is memory."

" _Well done, little Ravenclaw,"_ the eagle replied. There was a click and the door swung open. Padma turned to look at her friends and felt her heart swell. Susan appeared impressed, while Justin was giving her a thumbs up.

"Good job, Ravenclaw," he said. "I never doubted you for a second!"

Susan snorted and Padma chuckled at his statement.

"Sure you didn't," Padma said. She made sure to say it with a smile, so that he knew she wasn't hurt. "I'll be back in a moment!"

As she quickly collected her things, she knew that this was one memory she wouldn't ever forget.


End file.
